The present invention relates to a marking pen, and in particular, to a marking pen for use during surgery so as to guide the surgeon in making a proper incision.
The use of marking pens during surgery is common. Often a surgeon will mark lines on a patient's body so as to know the proper place and length of the incision or incisions which will be made during the operation. Such lines can be particularly important in specialties such as plastic surgery where the operation is being conducted for cosmetic reasons. In such cases, it is extremely important that the incisions be at the proper location, and of the appropriate length. However, this is often difficult to do during surgery without the aid of markings.
Typically, a surgeon will use a felt tip pen to mark lines representing the desired incisions. Because of the patient's perspiration, natural oils and fluids that are used on the patient's body prior to surgery, such as antiseptic solutions, the lines made by the marking pens have a tendency to spread out or "bleed" after being made on the skin. Additionally, once an incision has been made, blood usually spills on the patient's skin, further blurring the lines. While attempts have been made to form the marking portions of the pen in a fine tip, blood and other fluids cause the ink to spread, thereby obscuring the original lines.
Another problem with the marking pens of the prior art is that they have a tendency to dry out. Some pens dry out in the package and others dry out after a single use. Additionally, the felt tip of the pen can get "gummed up" with the betadine used on the patient. Because of these problems, many surgeons have been known to break open a pen and use the ink reservoir inside the pen to draw the lines. The reservoir, however, is fairly broad and results in a substandard marking.
Due to these problems with marking pens, some surgeons rely on primitive marking techniques. For example, some doctors will dip toothpicks or similar instruments in methylene blue. The toothpick, etc., is then dragged across the patient's skin to form a line. The toothpicks, however, will not hold a significant amount of the marking agent and must be repeatedly dipped when the surgeon is drawing a number of lines.
To overcome these problems, there is a need for a marking pen which enables a surgeon to make a thin line on the patient's skin which will not significantly broaden or smear. Additionally, the line made by the marking pen should be temporary so that it will disappear shortly after the surgery has been completed.